Makerbot shows off 3D scanner

Their “MakerBot Digitizer” is most likely based entirely on open source technology or readily available hardware that people have already been using for several years. And I’ll take some issue with the statement “the fact remains if you’re sourcing a 3D printer for a high school shop class or a hackerspace, you really can’t do much better than a Makerbot Replicator.” Everyone I know who has used Replicators has had to do just as much tweaking and tuning as anyone using other Reprap-based 3D printers. In fact, you often have to throw away their software and use community-developed software to get good results. It’s not better than many of the other, cheaper options, even in the realm of pre-assembled printers. Example: they still use a plunger and thumbscrew to force the filament against the feed rollers. Everyone in the industry knows this just isn’t reliable, especially i...